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I have already started my first project for June with a test knit, all in linen. I cannot tell more about it, but will check with the designer how much I can share before the pattern is officially launched. So far, it is going rather well. This is the only one for which I had to get more yarn. With only 4 balls of Katia Lino in my stash, I went to search for more. This particular blue was not in stock, so I chose a silver grey and decided to knit a colorblock version of the pattern.J’ai déjà commencé mon projet numéro 1 pour juin, un tricot de test tout en lin. Je ne sais pas trop ce que je vais pouvoir dévoiler avant le lancement officiel du patron, je vais vérifier avec la créatrice. Mais ça avance plutôt bien. C’est le seul projet pour lequel j’ai dû racheter un peu de stock. Avec seulement 4 pelotes de Katia Lino en stock, il m’en fallait un peu plus. Je n’ai pas retrouvé ce beau bleu, j’ai donc choisi un gris argenté pour travailler le patron en mode colorblock.

I found my perfect summer outfit, and it is a fully knitted one.
On my wishlist:

Loess : fresh out of the new Brooklyn Tweed Wool People collection, this stole has captured my heart. I’m a stole and wrap girl, and this simple design made of stockinette interrupted by a clever lace design is just perfect. It turns out I have the yarn for it too. My next project?

Thornett : from PomPom Summer collection – I want the whole magazine, please, and I would love to knit this cute little sleveless top. The deep V- neck is flattering, and the side detail adds a bit of sophistication.

Wrap Around Skirt: Add a lovely knitted wrap skirt (free pattern from Knit Picks). In fingering weight, it might take a while, but it would be a nice mindless knit, with just the right amount of lace to keep it interesting.

Hollis: To finish it all, this lovely knitted bag with leather straps, also in Pompom. Ideal for shopping on the farmers’ market, or go for a picnic by the lake or the beach.

What do you think? What are you planning to knit (or make) this summer?

This is officially the end of summer, and autumn, one of my favorite seasons, is on its way. It is a good time to look back on what was done this summer. I managed to complete a few projects and to reduce my stash in the process (oh yes, the stashbusting efforts are still ongoing). So without further ado, here is a recap of my completed projects.C’est officiellement la fin de l’été et l’automne, une de mes saisons préférées, s’en vient doucement. Un bon moment pour faire le point sur ce qui a été accompli pendant la saison. J’ai réussi à compléter plusieurs projets qui ont contribué à réduire un peu mon stock en même temps (oh oui, on travaille fort sur la réduction du stock). Alors sans plus tarder, voici une galerie des projets terminés.

Creamy Textured Cardigan

Now this is a bit of a cheat because although it is technically completed, I’m not entirely happy with it and I have to redo the whole ribbed neckline. You see, I did not do a great job in picking up the stitches, and they are all bundled up at the back, while the front sections are too spaced out. The other issue was that I ran out of yarn three rows before the end, and the yarn is no longer sold (of course!). I managed to finish with some other organic cotton from my stash that I doubled. It is slightly lighter in color, and you can see it if you look really closely, but that does not bother me as much as having my neckline all over tĥe place. I’ll show more pictures and details on this project in another post, once I have reworked it. I think this cardigan is too beautiful to be botched, so I will take the time to finish it properly.Bon je triche car bien que ce gilet soit techniquement terminé, je ne suis pas entièrement satisfaite du résultat et je dois refaire toute l’encolure. Je n’ai pas bien remonté les mailles tout autour, ce qui fait qu’elles sont en grand nombre sur l’arrière et trop espacées sur les devants. En plus, je me suis trouvée à court de fil à trois rangs de la fin, et ce fil n’est plus en vente (bien entendu!). J’ai réussi à terminer en utilisant un autre coton bio de mon stock, en doublant le fil plus fin. Il est légèrement plus clair, ce qui se voit si l’on regarde de très près, mais cela m’embête bien moins que cette encolure qui tombe mal. Je vous montrerai plus de photos et de détails dans un prochain billet, lorsque je l’aurais refait l’encolure. Ce gilet est trop beau pour être bâclé, alors je vais prendre le temps de le finir correctement.

I started and frogged a couple of things as well, and I have other wips on the needles, but the summer was so hot and humid that most of the time, I could only handle cotton and linen. Now the air is fresher, the sun is still shining and I am preparing my plan for the fall knitting. What have you finished this summer?J’ai aussi démarré et défait deux trois choses, et j’ai d’autres projets en cours sur les aiguilles. Mais il a fait si chaud et humide cet été que je n’ai pas été capble de travailler autre chose que du coton et du lin pendant des semaines. Maintenant l’air s’est rafraîchi, le soleil brille encore et je prépare mon planning tricot d’automne. Qu’avez-vous terminé cet été?

Fashion pin of the week/image mode de la semaine

Playlist: Divine Idylle – Vanessa Paradis

Vanessa started singing at the age of 12 and survived the onslaught of vicious criticism triggered by her youth and inexperience (and a lot of jealousy too). All of this is way behind and she continues on her path filled with lovely songs. I love this one.Vanessa a commencé à chanter à l’âge de 12 ans et a survécu à la tempête de critiques haineuses déclenchées par sa jeunesse et son inexpérience (et aussi beaucoup de jalousie). Heureusement tout cela est bien loin derrière et elle continue de tracer son bout de chemin rempli de jolies chansons. J’aime beaucoup celle-ci.

Today I will focus on Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits, the two I received recently. To sum up: VK is offering us a stellar issue, with gorgeous pattern and fantastic styling, one of the best for this season in these past few years. There are so many patterns that I like, I think I will just scratch out the rest of my winter queue and move directly to spring. My first shortlist is already way too big to be realistic.Je me concentre aujourd’hui sur Vogue Knitting et Interweave Knits, les deux que je viens de recevoir. VK, tout d’abord, nous offre une édition sublime avec des patrons superbes et un stylisme très classe, le meilleur numéro printemps-été de ces dernières années. Il y a tellement de patrons qui me tentent que je vais juste ignorer mes derniers projets d’hiver et passer directement au printemps. Ma sélection est déjà bien trop grande pour être réaliste.

Everything reads from left to right, from top to bottom.Tout se lit de gauche à droite, de haut en bas.

The entire sporting life section is amazing, I would have put them all so check the other ones out on their website.La section sport toute entière est superbe, je n’ai pas pu tout mettre quand même alors allez voir sur leur site.

As you see, way too many to knit for a spring and summer that are always too short here. Still, I will try to make a few if I can. Which ones do you prefer ?Comme vous le voyez, beaucoup trop de choix pour des saisons chaudes toujours trop courtes ici. Mais je vais quand même tenter d’en faire quelques-uns. Lesquels préférez-vous?

The knitting these days is as confusing as the weather. Seriously these last two weeks in Montreal have been insane. Hot, then brutally cold, then mild and humid, then cool and rainy, then cold again, and now we’re supposed to have a summer spell in the next few days, up to 30° Celsius. It was 4° Celsius last Friday morning, and half of the family has a cold. I took the mittens out and now realize I probably started storing my summer sandals too quickly.

So on the knitting side, it’s been the same confusion. i just finished a summer top, which I packed thinking I would not wear it until next year; it turns out I actually might be able to wear it this week-end. I also finished a Vogue Knitting sweater from the Pre-Fall 2013 edition, a no-sleeve tunic with a big rounded collar, the kind of schizophrenic sweater that leaves your arms freezing cold and your neck boiling hot. And I started a neck warmer in bulky warm wool because hey, it’s been pretty cold walking around in the autumn wind. It’s all over the place.
Summer, autumn, winter, up and down, up and down the thermometer goes and I still have a cotton lacy sweater to finish, with sleeves. Which is probably the best transition piece, except there are no transitions here. It’s a bit crazy, but hey, at least it’s not snowing yet, so I cannot complain too much (and my heart goes to the folks in Calgary who had their first snow on September 8 – ouch). Just upping my vitamins intake to make sure I don’t get too sick on this crazy meteorological roundabout. I still have time to get started on my winter knitting.

Pictures in a following post. Just a preview of my neck warmer and the warm colors of the yarn (Mountain Fusion Teton, Summer colorway).